Animal Legal Defense Fund Facilitates Release of Six Pigs from Research Lab

Contact: media@aldf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an effort dubbed “Operation Oink!,” the Animal Legal Defense Fund announced it has helped facilitate the legal release of six Gottingen pigs from an undisclosed research lab to three reputable sanctuaries. The Animal Legal Defense Fund also is making financial contributions to support the pigs’ care and well-being so they may live out their lives in peace and tranquility. 

After weeks of complex coordination and planning, rescuers traveled thousands of miles over three very long days in two separate transports to bring the pigs safely to their new homes. The pigs arrived in pairs at the Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary in Scio, Oregon; Wildlings Forest Sanctuary in Portland, Oregon; and Leo’s Animal Sanctuary in Onyx, California. New Life Animal Sanctuary, which specializes in rescuing animals from research labs, also played a significant role in securing the pigs’ release.   

It is extremely rare for any animal to get out of a research lab alive.  Often, animals used in research are subjected to multiple, invasive experiments during their lives, only to be assigned to a “terminal” study in which they finally are killed to have their tissues and organs examined.        

“We may never know what these smart and sensitive pigs endured while locked behind laboratory doors. But we do know that conducting invasive research on pigs can be extremely cruel and unnecessary,” says Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Chris Green. “We thus are overjoyed to at least help these six sweet souls start their new lives in safe, serene sanctuaries where they can experience joy and feel forever safe from harm.” 

In laboratories, pigs are poisoned, mutilated, implanted with equipment, and killed for a variety of experiments including drug toxicity, testing medical devices, organ transplants, and general surgical training — despite the existence of modern humane alternatives that don’t involve animals and produce more reliable results.      

Gottingen pigs are specifically bred for use in biomedical research, engineered to be small, compliant, docile pigs with good ear veins, that make them easier for researchers to experiment on. Their size makes them more convenient to fit into small laboratory cages, and their sweet and gentle nature is exploited to subject them to invasive and often painful procedures, much like beagle dogs. Sanctuary staff have reported that Gottingen pigs don’t even squeal when getting vaccinations — a reaction that is unlike other breeds of pigs.    

The Animal Legal Defense Fund has been working for decades to improve legal protection for animals used in research. Currently, the Animal Legal Defense Fund is legally challenging the USDA’s secret policy of not conducting full inspections of all covered research labs. The Animal Legal Defense Fund also has filed lawsuits against the National Institutes of Health and University of Wisconsin  defending the free speech of advocates and a former university employee  whose comments about animal experimentation were censored on social media.  

Photos and video of the pigs are available upon request.    

For more information, visit aldf.org/research.